Openings: Little Luzzo's

Adam,
I was helping a friend move this weekend and nearly drove onto the sidewalk when I saw a familiar carved-wood sign on the facade of a 96th Street building on the Upper East Side.Little Luzzo's opened about two weeks ago, serving quality slices, salads, and panini in a small storefront.

Unlike Luzzo's in the East Village, which uses an old coal-fired brick oven (211 First Avenue was once the home of the Palermo Bakery, followed by Zito's East), this location uses a brick-lined gas-fueled deck oven (Bakers Pride).

The result is a completely different slice, much thicker and sturdier with a sourdough flavor. The char on the underside is lovely, and they use beautiful fresh mozzarella on the Margherita. I'll get the exact address for you as soon as I get back home, where I filed the menu.

Not the same pizza you'll get at Luzzo's, but there are several variables, including the eatery's goal, which prevent such a duplication.

Have a slice day,
Scott

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Scott,
Thanks for the intel and the pix. As you and other longtime Slice readers know, I'm not so hot on Luzzo's, but what you're describing here is intriguing, because it sounds like what they're doing at "Little Luzzo's" remedies what I've always found lacking in original Luzzo's pies—flimsy pizza and flavorless crust. Little Luzzo's sounds like it may address these issues, and I'm eager to try.

Adam Kuban is the proprietor of the pop-up Margot's Pizza, which serves bar-style pizza. But you may also know him as the founder of Slice (RIP, 2003–2014) where he has written thousands of blog posts about pizza. He also created A Hamburger Today and served as Serious Eats's founding editor (2006–2010) after having sold those sites to SE.

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